Education System v. Cultural Competence | Gracia Bareti | TEDxDirigo
Summary
TLDRThe speaker recounts their first birthday party invitation in kindergarten, highlighting the feeling of belonging and the struggle with cultural identity. They discuss the 'double consciousness' experienced by people of color, the lack of cultural representation in education, and the need for cultural competence. The narrative culminates in their initiative at Girls Nation, where they proposed the Cultural Awareness Curriculum Act to enrich educational curricula with diverse cultural teachings, emphasizing the importance of inclusivity and understanding in education.
Takeaways
- 🎉 The speaker's first birthday party invitation in kindergarten made them feel special and part of the community.
- 🏠 Growing up in Maine, the speaker often felt different from their predominantly white classmates due to their Congolese and Rwandan heritage.
- 🎨 The speaker experienced cultural disconnects in school, such as choosing crayon colors for family portraits and discussing favorite foods.
- 🤔 The invitation to the birthday party was a symbol of acceptance, but the sleepover aspect conflicted with the speaker's cultural norms.
- 👨👩👧👦 The speaker's family's cultural practices were not fully understood or accepted by their peers, leading to feelings of anger and confusion.
- 📚 The concept of 'double consciousness' is introduced to describe the speaker's divided identity between their cultural heritage and American life.
- 🗣️ The speaker had to code-switch and advocate for their identity in various environments, highlighting the challenges of being underrepresented.
- 🏫 The education system was criticized for not teaching about diverse cultures, leading to a lack of understanding and microaggressions.
- 🌐 The speaker and a partner created the 'Cultural Awareness Curriculum Act' to promote education on various cultures in schools.
- 🙅♀️ Despite the effort, the bill was denied, illustrating the systemic issues in education and the need for change to include diverse perspectives.
- 🌟 The speaker calls for cultural competence and active learning about different cultures to create a more inclusive and understanding society.
Q & A
How did the speaker feel when they received their first birthday party invitation?
-The speaker felt special and excited when they received their first birthday party invitation, as it made them feel seen and part of their school and community.
Why did the speaker feel different in their kindergarten classroom?
-The speaker felt different in their kindergarten classroom because they were often the only non-white student, which led to experiences of feeling out of place during activities and discussions.
What cultural differences did the speaker experience in their early childhood?
-The speaker experienced cultural differences such as choosing the color of crayon for drawing family portraits, having different hair textures, and discussing favorite foods that were not common among their peers.
Why couldn't the speaker attend the sleepover mentioned in the birthday invitation?
-The speaker couldn't attend the sleepover because it conflicted with their Rwandan and Congolese cultural norms, as their father explained that it was not in their culture.
What is 'double consciousness' as described by W.E.B. Du Bois?
-'Double consciousness' is a term coined by W.E.B. Du Bois, referring to the feeling of having two identities or ways of thinking within oneself, often experienced by those who belong to marginalized groups.
How did the speaker feel about their identity being divided into different components?
-The speaker maneuvered through life with a sense of division in their identity, feeling the need to code-switch and be self-aware of how they behaved to fit into different environments.
What did the speaker do to address the lack of cultural education in schools?
-The speaker attended Girls Nation and proposed the Cultural Awareness Corps Education Act, which aimed to require cultural awareness education in schools to teach about different cultures and ways of life.
Why was the Cultural Awareness Corps Education Act important to the speaker?
-The Cultural Awareness Corps Education Act was important to the speaker because it represented a way to educate students about diverse cultures, including their own, and to prevent the feeling of being 'othered' in the classroom.
What was the outcome of the debate on the Cultural Awareness Corps Education Act at Girls Nation?
-Despite the debate highlighting the experiences and needs of girls of color, the Cultural Awareness Corps Education Act was denied, illustrating the systemic challenges in addressing cultural education.
What is the speaker's call to action regarding cultural competence and education?
-The speaker calls for cultural competence to be invited into everyone's lives, encouraging engagement with new perspectives, listening to others, and being one's own teacher since the education system may not provide complete knowledge.
Outlines
🎉 First Invitation and Cultural Identity
The speaker recounts their first birthday party invitation in kindergarten, highlighting the feeling of being special and part of the community. They discuss the challenges of growing up in a predominantly white environment in Maine, where they often felt different due to their Congolese and Rwandan heritage. The invitation, referred to as a 'golden ticket,' was a moment of acceptance, but the cultural differences, particularly the concept of a sleepover, led to a conflict with their family's traditions. This incident was the first time the speaker realized the split between their cultural identity and their school life.
📚 The Struggle for Cultural Representation in Education
The speaker delves into the concept of 'double consciousness' as described by W.E.B. Du Bois, reflecting on how their identity has been divided and the need to code-switch between their cultural background and the dominant culture. They share experiences of being the only black girl in English courses and the frustration of being expected to represent their entire race during discussions on race. The speaker also criticizes the lack of depth in teaching about African history, which often focuses solely on slavery and the civil rights movement, neglecting the rich cultural tapestry of the continent. This leads to a sense of dissatisfaction and a feeling of being underrepresented in the curriculum.
🌐 Advocating for Cultural Awareness in Education
The speaker shares their initiative to address the lack of cultural awareness in education by participating in Girls Nation, where they and their Iraqi partner proposed the Cultural Awareness Corps Education Act. This act aimed to mandate cultural awareness courses in schools to teach students about diverse cultures and ways of life. Despite the bill being denied, the speaker emphasizes the importance of making a point about the failings of the education system. They argue for the necessity of cultural competence and the need for individuals to educate themselves and listen to perspectives outside their own experiences. The speaker concludes with a call to action, urging that change is necessary to ensure that all students' voices are heard and that no one is satisfied with a system that perpetuates ignorance and exclusion.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Cultural Identity
💡Double Consciousness
💡Microaggressions
💡Cultural Competence
💡Representation
💡Sleepover
💡Cultural Awareness
💡Code Switching
💡Education System
💡Self-Advocacy
Highlights
The speaker recalls feeling special upon receiving their first birthday party invitation in kindergarten.
Being in a predominantly white environment made the speaker feel different from their classmates.
The speaker discusses the struggle of identity, being caught between their Congolese and Rwandan heritage and American life.
A birthday invitation made the speaker feel seen and wanted by their classmates.
Cultural differences led to confusion and a sense of not belonging, such as the concept of a sleepover being foreign to the speaker's family.
The speaker's identity is described as 'double consciousness', a term from W.E.B. Du Bois, reflecting the division within oneself due to cultural and racial differences.
The speaker had to code-switch and advocate for their identity in various environments.
The lack of representation of the speaker's culture in school curriculums is a recurring theme of frustration.
The speaker's experience of being the only black girl in English courses and the awkwardness when race is discussed.
The frustration with the limited portrayal of African history in school, focusing only on civil rights and slavery.
The speaker's initiative to create change by attending Girls Nation and proposing the Cultural Awareness Curriculum Act.
The bill proposed would require cultural awareness education in schools to combat microaggressions and promote understanding.
The debate over the bill revealed that students of color often have similar experiences of feeling 'othered' in the classroom.
The speaker emphasizes the importance of cultural competence and the need for individuals to educate themselves beyond the curriculum.
A call to action for change in the education system to ensure all voices are heard and no culture is left untaught.
The speaker concludes with a powerful message about the necessity of addressing these issues for a more inclusive and understanding society.
Transcripts
I would like you to think about the
first time you were invited to a
birthday party how did you feel what did
you feel and why it was Kindergarten
when I received my first invitation
I remember feeling so special seeing my
name printed at the front of the
envelope for the first time in my memory
I felt the part of my school and
community you see I grew up in Maine a
predominantly white state in a
kindergarten classroom with
predominantly white students and me
often times I felt other dinh the
classroom from coloring activities
consisting of drawing your families and
being confused do I pick up the peach
crayon like everyone else in my
classroom or the brown one commonly used
to color in tree trunks or being the
only one with kinky curly hair protected
under braids each week as classmates
we're discussing having to brush their
stray hair every morning or maybe I
really felt different during class
discussions talking about our favorite
food and classmates went around saying
pizza macaroni and cheese
and being self-conscious to sputter out
my mother's traditional food of rice and
Pandu recognizing that's so young that
no one had said anything similar to it
than when it was my turn
Pizza was the only thing that could come
out of my mouth this situation in
kindergarten was the first time I
realized I'm split between my Congolese
and Rwandan culture and my way of life
at school but you see this invitation
this golden ticket was what made me feel
special my classmates they saw me they
wanted me
I remember feeling so excited to go home
and share my golden ticket with my
family when I got home no it's not in
our culture my father said after making
sense of the word sleepover at the
bottom of the invitation leaving my
six-year-old self left with anger and
confusion why was culture in my way of
possible attendance and acceptance my
Rwandan and Congolese culture is a
component in my identity and my family's
identity and it has norms that I've been
able to differentiate since I could
recognize the difference from my
family's traditional food and the
Lunchables I saw in my elementary school
cafeteria so I knew this sleepover was a
lost cause the next day
I know I have to deliver bad news I
can't go I say to my classmates as I try
to explain to them my identity and
culture to other six-year-olds that's
weird
they said they didn't understand but I
did a task often left upon the shoulders
of underrepresented kids and this split
that I was feeling has been coined by w
e BD boy in double consciousness where a
person's identity is divided into
different components and his novel the
souls of black folk he states one often
feels they're tunas an American a negro
two souls two thoughts two warring ideas
in one dark body my body and this Tunis
or three nasur Faunus is how I have
maneuvered all my life from having to
coin from having to code switch into the
Grecia
I felt most necessary for my environment
and having to be self aware on how I
behave constantly having to advocate for
all parts of my identity from English
courses being the only black girl in the
room and recognizing the awkward silence
at the beginning of every conversation
when race is brought up and feeling the
stares as classmates look to me as
though I know the answer
or history lessons when talking about
black history and only hearing about the
civil rights movement and slavery but
never once about the life before and
what still exists within Africa causing
me each year to ask my teachers on what
are we gonna get a little more in depth
when discussing Africa and being left
with the same two answers each year
it'll be taught next year or it's not in
the curriculum to me it's like saying
your identity and culture is not
important enough to be taught within the
school and it's frustrating attending
school each year and never hearing your
culture be taught to the fullest extent
and then being expected to know the
answers each time and it's unsatisfying
and that makes me think back to when I
was in kindergarten hearing it's not in
our culture - now it's not in the
curricula I'm unsatisfied with it not
being in the curricula unsatisfied with
being told it will be taught next year
unsatisfied with being forced into the
teacher role within the classroom
unsatisfied with having to have an
invitation be what makes me feel
accepted so I did something about it
this past summer I attended girls nation
a nationally recognized program or two
girls from each day simulate a
congressional process each bringing in a
handcrafted bill
My partner was Iraqi and I we created
the cultural awareness Corps Sedition
Act better known as the caca Act
requiring grades K through 8 to take on
a cultural awareness course or they
would be taught a unit on each continent
so students regardless of or lack of
would be taught about the differing
cultures and ways of life out there in
the world at a time point where they are
most receptive to new information and
like any congressional you know what
there's always a debate and during the
debate the only people who were able to
talk to the affirmative were girls of
color and what makes this so unique that
they all had a common theme when talking
it was about their experiences within
the classroom you know like only talking
about the civil rights movement and
slavery during the shortest month of the
year or only briefly touching upon Islam
during the month of September this
builds microaggressions within schools
and communities because students are not
being taught accurately and as this is
occurring it continuously makes students
of color be other dwith in the classroom
and after all of this had been said by
girls of color across the nation the
bill was denied and you see it was way
more than just getting a bill passed or
denied it was to make a point that our
education system
is failing us people are making opinions
without knowing the facts people are
made to feel not safe with who they are
people are not listening to the
differing of perspectives and quite
frankly I'm not saying that there's one
person or one thing that can fix this or
is at fault I'm simply saying that
there's a problem and we need to address
it I believe that cultural competence is
something that we all need to invite
into our lives seeing as my whole life
has been an independent study of trying
to understand my culture and world or
worlds we all need to engage with people
we've never talked with before listen to
the other perspective be our own
teachers because the education system is
not going to tell us everything and
quite frankly if we don't start now
we're going to continue a system where
we do not hear voices of all students
and we cannot be satisfied that with a
you cannot be satisfied with that we
need to do something thank you
[Applause]
you
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